LISTEN: Ice Cube - I Got My Locs On Ft Young Jeezy

DOWNLOAD Ice Cube - I Got My Locs On Ft Young Jeezy (MP3)

One of my top 3 favorite rappers from childhood, Ice Cube, joins forces with a rapper I didn't start appreciating until recently, Young Jeezy. Cube's first verse sounds like it was ghost written by Rick Ross, but we know Cube doesn't like cops so that's definitely not the case.

Props to Eskay for the MP3.

NEWS: SXSW's 20 Hip Hop Acts @ SXSW

AboutRap has a gallery of Top 20 2008 SXSW Hip-Hop Lineup, including Ice Cube. Now traditionally it's been difficult to even find more than 20 Hip Hop performers in a pool of literally thousands of acts performing at SXSW. And there's not even really a big Hip Hop centered event in the midst. Let me just say that this will be different next year. ;)

© Kristian Darling/Getty Images

LISTEN: Ice Cube - Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It (Remix) ft. Scarface & Nas

DOWNLOAD Ice Cube - Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It (Remix) ft. Scarface & Nas (MP3)

When the original came out I right away thought this would've been a great beat for Scarface and lookie here. Nas makes an appearance as well.


Via Eskay.

LISTEN: Jay-Z - Classic Gangster (Full Mixtape)

DOWNLOAD Jay-Z - Classic Gangster (Full Mixtape) (MP3)

I swore to not post any more Jay-Z/American Gangster mashup albums anymore, but with a cover like that how could I not post this one?



Jay-Z - Classic Gangster
01. Jay-Z vs. Ice-T - Intro
02. Jay-Z vs. Boogie Down Productions - Pray
03. Jay-Z vs. The D.O.C. - American Dreamin’
04. Jay-Z vs. Big Daddy Kane - Hello Brooklyn 3.0 feat. Lil Wayne
05. Jay-Z vs. Kool G. Rap - No Hook
06. Jay-Z vs. Public Enemy - Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)…
07. Jay-Z vs. A Tribe Called Quest - Sweet
08. Jay-Z vs. Slick Rick - I Know
09. Jay-Z vs. Beastie Boys - Party Life
10. Jay-Z vs. Eazy-E - Ignorant Sh*t feat. Beanie Sigel
11. Jay-Z vs. Too $hort - Say Hello
12. Jay-Z vs. D-Nice - Success feat. Nas
13. Jay-Z vs. Run D.M.C. - Fallin’
14. Jay-Z vs. Eric B. & Rakim - Blue Magic
15. Jay-Z vs. N.W.A. - American Gangster
Props to BrooklynBodega.

NEWS: Ice Cube To Remake 'Welcome Back, Kotter'

Well, that's certainly not what I expected. Ice Cube is set to remake Welcome Back, Kotter. You know I had to use this picture for this post. Info below.


There’s a script,” the “First Sunday” star said of “Welcome Back, Kotter,” which would bring an urban take to the 70’s TV classic. “We’ve got the same characters, they’re just re-vamped to suit the times, totally different. It’s like, flipped. With me playing Kotter, how couldn’t it be?” For those unfamiliar with the show that launched John Travolta’s career, “Kotter” tells the story of a former high school troublemaker who returns to his New York stomping grounds to teach a new generation of underachieving misfit students. Cube said that the current script will maintain that basic framework, but that Mr. Kotter won’t be telling schtick-y uncle jokes anymore. “No, I won’t be going that far,” he laughed. “You know me, I’m gonna flip it. It ain’t gonna be no Gabe Kaplan sh-t.” (More here.)

VIDEO: Ice Cube On Conan O'Brien

Lots of rappers on talk shows this week. Gangsta rap genius Ice Cube sits down with late night genius Conan O'Brien

LISTEN: Del Tha Funkee Homosapien - Bubble Pop

DOWNLOAD Del Tha Funkee Homosapien - Bubble Pop (MP3)

The Bay Area's Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, is dropping his new album Eleventh Hour on Definitive Jux March 11th and 'Bubble Pop' is the lead-off single. Del's debut album I Wish My Brother George Was Here, produced by cousin Ice Cube, is still one of my favorite albums of it's kind and era. Still stands up too.

NEWS: Ice Cube & DJ Pooh Launch TV Website

Ice Cube and DJ Pooh are trying to get that YouTube money.


[...]Cube and Pooh [...] have loftier ambitions: to create a TV-style network with multiple channels and high-quality video that can support everything from short videos to full-length movies. UVNTV (short for U View Network Television, at uvntv.com), still in rollout mode, now features about a dozen channels, run both by large companies and individual artists. Each channel will be screened for quality but will run its own programming. For example, Snoop Dogg's Snoopadelic channel features his rap videos; [...] All videos are shown in a new Microsoft-developed format called Silverlight that promises definition high enough to be played on big screens. Shows can be viewed by time or on demand. And, like most websites launching these days, UVNTV includes community-building features along the lines of MySpace. "We figured we needed to think about how could we still be part of entertainment in this future that's coming out at full speed," says Cube. [...] "We didn't just want to be providers of a product. We wanted to be a full-blown network. I think we're going to have programming that's way more interesting than what you can see on your daily television or even YouTube." (USA Today.)

LISTEN: Killer Mike - Ghetto Extraordinary (Full Album)

DOWNLOAD Killer Mike - Ghetto Extraordinary (Full Album) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD Killer Mike - Push Back ft. M.O.P. (MP3)

Killer Mike will be releasing I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind Pt.2 in March through Rifkin's SRC Recordings. I can't think of a better home. To carry you over Killer Mike and HHDX (props!) teamed up to release gratis his shelved follow up album to 2005's Monster. Tracklist below, download above either in full or stand-out track 'Push Back' featuring M.O.P.. You will love it. Look at that tracklist. Amazing.

01. Get Em Shawty ft. Three 6 Mafia (Prod. by Three Six Mafia)
02. Gorilla Pimpin (Ghetto Extraordinary) ft. 8Ball & MJG (prod. by Mello)
03. Bad Day / Worst Day (prod. by Beat Bullies)
04. Mama Said (prod. by Organized Noize)
05. Gonna Go to Ghana (prod. by Andre3000)
06. Niggaz Down South (prod. by Beat Bullies)
07. Shot Down (prod. by Organized Noize)
08. Chose Me ft. SL Jones & Scar (prod. by Ron Browz)
09. My Chrome ft. Big Boi (prod. by Mr. DJ of Dungeon Family)
10. Leave This Hood ft. Jagged Edge
11. Aye-O (prod. by David Banner)
12. Speak Lord (prod. by Organized Noize)
13. Push Back ft. M.O.P. (Bonus)
14. Bad Day / Worst Day Remix (Clean) ft. Ice Cube (Bonus)

VIDEO: Ice Cube - Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It

Ice Cube is back with a new video for 'Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It'.

VIDEO: Philly 50's Final Round - Ice vs Burke

Watch the final round of the Philly 50 on December 22nd at the Arts Garage. Ice vs. Burke. Burke burns. Saturday December 29th there's yet another Philly 50 Battle show at The Arts Garage (info here) and there will be a performance by Scanz, who also produced Channel Live's 'Hip HopNation' (watch it being performed, or the video, or download the MP3). (PS posting on this blog will be light til January 3rd. Working on some new stuff and traveling still.)

LISTEN: Ice Cube + Chuck D + M.O.P.

DOWNLOAD Ice Cube - Endangered Species Remix ft Chuck D (MP3)
DOWNLOAD M.O.P. - Stick To Ya Gunz (MP3)


Since this is a Hip Hop NEWS blog I generally stay away from old stuff, but I felt really odd and soiled after that last post. So I'm doing the blogging equivalent of washing out my mouth after cursing. Here's two of the hardest songs I could think of off the top of my head. The Ice Cube/Chuck D. track is off of the oft forgotten, but excellent Kill At Will EP. The M.O.P. track is of course produced by DJ Premier.

NEWS: Westside Connection Release Best Of

And here I was thinking Westside Connection only really released one album. Check out the cover and tracklist for their upcoming The Best Of Westside Connection: The Gangsta, The Killa And The Dope Dealer (Dec. 4th) below.


1. Potential Victims
2. The Gangsta, The Killa And The Dope Dealer
3. Bow Down
4. Cheddar
5. Gangsta Nation (with Nate Dogg)
6. Lights Out
7. Connected For Life (with Butch Cassidy)
8. Gangstas Make the World Go Round
9. West Up!
10. Let It Reign
11. Hoo-Bangin' (WSCG style)
12. Walk
13. So Many Rappers in Love
14. Bangin' (with Master P) [previously out-of-print track]
15. Nobody (with Timbaland)
16. All The Critics in NY
17. Westside Slaughterhouse
18. Terrorist Threats

LISTEN: Jay-Z - 30 Something (Remix) ft. Ice Cube & Andre 3000

DOWNLOAD Jay-Z - 30 Something (Remix) ft. Ice Cube & Andre 3000 (MP3)


Ice Cube and B-Real when they were 20 somethings
First we get a Dead Presidents III snippet, now a remix to '30 Something' off of Kingdom Come featuring two of my all time favorite rappers. Ice Cube does great, but Andre 3000 shows the game once more that it needs him. Via IllRoots.

VIDEO: Straight Outta Congress

Jon Stewart is once again the lone sane person in the sea of madness as he speaks on the congressional hearings on Hip Hop. He even works in some Beastie Boys and Ice Cube quotes.


Via HHIsRead.